Pendidikan Karakter dalam Serat Darsana Kawedhar: Kajian Hermeneutika terhadap Pupuh Macapat

Abstract

The decline in the moral quality of Indonesia’s younger generation reflects the weakness of character value internalization, particularly those rooted in local wisdom. Javanese piwulang literary works, such as Serat Darsana Kawedhar by Ki Sudarman Ganda Darsana, contain moral teachings and philosophical insights that may serve as an alternative solution to this problem. This study aims to explore and interpret the character education values embedded in the macapat verses of Serat Darsana Kawedhar using a hermeneutic approach.The research employs a qualitative–interpretative method grounded in Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics. The primary data are derived from the text of Serat Darsana Kawedhar, which is analyzed through textual interpretation, cultural contextualization, and the formulation of philosophical values as foundations for character education. The findings reveal that the text embodies values of religiosity, self-awareness and vigilance, responsibility, self-control, harmony between outward and inward aspects of life, and practical wisdom. These values are conveyed through macapat poetic forms and the symbolism of the wayang tradition as pedagogical media.The study affirms that Serat Darsana Kawedhar is highly relevant as a culture-based source of character education, capable of strengthening the moral resilience of the younger generation in facing contemporary challenges.